Thursday, February 23, 2012

Food Storage Carrot Cake


When my husband and I were first dating I was super busy, I was working two jobs and going to school full time.  I wanted to make him a cake for his birthday but I ran out of time.  So I ran over to the local bakery to buy him a cake and the only cake they had left (it was 4:45 p.m. and they closed at 5) was a carrot cake.  It was beautiful so I bought it.  He hated it.  I think he took one bite.  


He got over my cake failure and married me anyway.   

So while I was testing my recipe for this post I asked him to try quite a few versions of this carrot cake, and I was shocked when he said “This is pretty good, I think I like carrot cake.”    My carrot cake hating husband has turned into a carrot cake eater.   That is as long as it doesn't have raisins. 



Food Storage Carrot Cake Recipe Notes:
  • This cake uses cooked white beans in place of oil.  For this recipe measure the beans first and then mash them slightly.  You don’t want them pureed but you don’t want whole beans either.  I use my potato masher and smash the a few times before I add them.
  •  Carrot cake is a dense cake that does not raise much, consequently this recipe calls for you to bake it in three 9 inch pans.  When you add the cake batter to the pans you are going to think “maybe I should just use 2 pans” don’t do it.  Using 3 pans really does work much better with cakes like this.
  •  This cake has a lot of optional ingredients, raisins, walnuts, and coconut.  You can add all or none, or any combo you choose.  Be careful with the measurements of the optional ingredients; you can add up to 3 cups total of optional ingredients.   
  • The frosting on this carrot cake contains cream cheese.  I don't have a good way to store cream cheese in my food storage.  I'm hoping for someone to come out with an amazing powdered cream cheese.  But until then I use fresh because I don't want to live in a world with out cream cheese.   
  • The frosting on this cake includes butter powder.  I do store butter powder in my food storage because sometime I just want butter.  For example when I’m making frosting, the bean substitution just will not work.  I have been using butter power a lot over the past 2 years and I have found that the directions on the can are somewhat lacking.

How To Use Butter Powder

  •  In baking it is okay to add dry butter powder with dry ingredients and the appropriate amount of water with the wet ingredients.  
  •  If the recipe calls for butter to be “creamed” with sugar as it does in many cookie recipes, add the butter powder sugar and water (just the water to rehydrate the butter) and cream that, this takes longer than you think it should.  Don't worry keep mixing and it will turn out.
  •  If the recipe calls for butter to be “cut in” as it does in many biscuit recipes. Just stir the butter powder into the dry ingredients with a whisk then add the water to rehydrate with the wet ingredients.
  •   Adding butter powder for ½ the fat in a recipe and adding cooked white beans for the other half is a nice compromise, you get the taste of butter and the nutrition of beans.
  •   Adding butter powder to baked goods makes them rise a little higher than normal.
  • Using butter powder creates baked goods that do not brown as much in the oven.  Be sure to watch cookies or cakes and remove them promptly from the oven, by the time they turn golden brown they will be over cooked.
  • Butter powder does not fry or sauté well.  

Amount of butter needed
Amount of Butter powder
Amount of water
½ c.
3/4 c.
3 T.
1 cup
1 1/2 cup
6 Tablespoons
2 cups
3  cups
¾   cup




Food Storage Carrot Cake
3 cups water
4 eggs (1/4 cup powder eggs plus ½ cup water)
1 cup cooked white beans, measure first and then mash slightly
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup raisins (optional)
1 cup walnuts (optional)
1 cup coconut (optional)
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Prepare three 9 inch pans by spraying  by greasing and flouring (or use bakers spray with flour)
  2. Rehydrate carrots by simmering 1 cup of dehydrated carrots in 3 cups of water for 15 minutes.  Almost all the water should be absorbed and the carrots should be tender.  Rinse in cool water and drain well.
  3.  Combine eggs, mashed beans, and sugars.
  4.  In a separate bowl combine all dry ingredients.  Once well mixed add dry ingredients to the egg mixture.
  5.  Mix in carrots and optional ingredients.  Divide into prepared pans.
  6. Bake at 325 for 40 minutes.  When a knife or cake tester is inserted in the middle it will come out clean.   Remove from pans promptly and allow cakes to cool completely on a wire rack.  Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
½ cup butter (¾ cup butter powder plus 3 tablespoons water)
8 ounces cream cheese softened
1 pound powdered sugar
3 tablespoons vanilla
1 tablespoon corn syrup

      Blend all ingredients together until the desired consistency is reached.